Going Back

Phil Collins returns with a splendid collection of faultless covers

There are a lot of artists who started to perform as part of a band and then pursued solo careers and were a success in both roles, but nobody has yet outdone Phil Collins in this respect. His participation in the progressive rock band Genesis brought the musicians a huge success, and the drummer, vocalist and songwriter released his solo albums at the same time. Today the 59 year old artist has got several Grammies and one Oscar (out of three nominations). There have been ups and downs in Phil’s career. The drop began when the musician decided to try something completely different and recorded the 1993’s album Both Sides absolutely independently. Nevertheless the tickets for his concerts were always sold out in advance. In 2002 the last album of original material Testify was released, after which Phil Collins performed a lot with the re-united band Genesis. He later announced quitting recording music for some time. Luckily, this year he returns with his eighth studio work Going Back, a splendid collection of faultless covers.

Each composition on Going Back is breathing with the excitement

At first Phil Collins wanted just to try to record his favorite songs of the artist from the Motown record label which played a significant role in the USA music culture in its own time. The singer’s idea was to recreate the sounding and impression this music made in the 1960-1970s. The whole things has proved so interesting that it attracted the attention of the musicians from the main Motown band The Funk Brothers which proved a gift of destiny. One should take into account that Phil has recently been operated on his upper neck vertebrae and could not play drums for some time, but he has managed to do that on Going Back even though he had to tape the drumsticks to his hands. They have recorded almost 30 songs all in all, and the Special Edition includes 25 – it is a perfect present for the older generation as well as for young people whose parents grew up listening to this music. As a vocalist Phil Collins still easily takes high notes and sings with a lot of feeling – the example of that can be any of the album’s tracks – the opening Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue), the emotional (Love Is Like A) Heatwave or the lively Uptight (Everything’s Alright). A very beautiful ballad Some Of Your Lovin does Collins credit as a classic soul performer, whereas a more up-tempo stylish number Ain't Too Proud To Beg recreates the epoch of its creation in a very colorful way. On the whole the same can be said about each song on Going Back – one cannot but imagine America 50 years ago listening to this album. It is hardly worth defining the best or the worst composition here for each of them is breathing with the excitement of the musicians behind it: Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever pleases with its sincere honesty, Going To A Go-Go makes one dance, and the closing title track and single makes one pleasantly nostalgic.

A brilliant demonstration of one’s music tastes

The record Going Back should be considered as something integral, a collection of songs which embody the important stage of soul establishing itself in North America in the times of Collins’ early youth – hence his teenager picture on the album’s cover. Each of the compositions is a real piece of art that has involved more than ten people into its creation – the back vocalists ensemble, a small brass band, The Funk Brothers’ musicians and Phil Collins himself. The song choice is also interesting. The artist himself has stated that he wanted to record some less known songs, not the most joyful and at times really dark, which he liked in his youth. Yet, if one traces his creative work throughout, at first it were break-up songs that prevailed in – the influence Phil’s divorce made on him. He later began writing more politically oriented material, and the love in his works became happier and lofty. Compositions on Going Back tell about break-up, about lofty love and a little bit about having fun which fully suits Phil Collins’ today’s character. Remaining a truly creative personality he has found the best way to demonstrate his music tastes with Going Back and has done it brilliantly.